Cigar box ukuleles

[indent]Cigar box instruments have been around ever since there were cigars, it seems. They go back to before the US Civil War. It didn't take long for some entrepreneurial spirits to figure out how to use a wooden cigar box for the body of an instrument - usually something like a guitar (three to six stringed), a ukulele, dulcimer or a banjo.

Yes, they are made from real cigar boxes. Which means they are as variable in style, quality and sound as cigar boxes. And of course with the skills of their builders. But when you get custom builders like Black Bear and Glyph making them, they go from folk instruments to collectors' items.

There are some nice sites online with pictures of various cigar-box ukes, and a little history. Some of the photos show intriguing vintage instruments. For example this celebration of the "Stogie Stradivarius" and this one for an American CBU builder. Most of the sites, however, focus on cigar-box guitars and banjos, like the Cigar Box Museum. And of course there are numerous plans available so you can build your own, many of them free.

Cigar box instruments are like folk art - they've got a long, respectable tradition but they're often a lot less finished and refined than their commercial cousins. They have a certain panache about them, like a Grandma Moses painting. But they are still somewhat of a curio for many musicians.

I had not been particularly interested in cigar box instruments, myself, until recently. A couple of years ago, I bought a Strumstick, which is a commercially made cigar-box-style three-stringed instrument (akin to a long-necked dulcimer). I quite enjoyed playing it, although never had a chance to play it with other musicians. My interest in ukuleles superseded other instruments and I sold the Strumstick in order to help finance the purchase of new ukuleles.

Last August, I was in Ottawa for the annual AMO convention. On the Sunday afternoon, after registration, I walked through Ottawa and ended up at the Ottawa Folklore Centre. I found a different sort of cigar-box guitar on sale, a homemade, four-string contraption that really intrigued me. I liked the funky appearance and the sound reminded me of old blues records. Had I been driving, not flying home, I probably would have bought one. But since then, ukuleles have dominated my musical passions even more.

Recently, I started looking into cigar box ukuleles (CBUs). It struck me that the small size of the uke lent itself better to a cigar-box than the longer scale of the guitar and banjo. The volume of a cigar box is closer to that of a ukulele than a guitar, so tonally it should be a closer match. I started searching the ukulele forums I frequent and found numerous comments from owners of CBUs, almost all laudatory.

Hmm. If these instruments garner such unsolicited acclaim, I thought, perhaps I should look more closely.*

There are several makers of cigar-box instruments who sell their wares online. Most are small-scale producers, making one, maybe two a month, or sometimes just a few a year. They and their fans have created numerous sites dedicated to the history and building of cigar box instruments - few solely about ukuleles, but they figure in the history and project lists.

Of course, my interest is is the small-scale cigar box makers like Papa's Ukes and Cigar Box Ukes, in large part because of cost. A cigar box uke is probably the only custom-made musical instrument I will ever be able to afford.

Cigar box ukes came into their own back in the days when the uke was first starting to gather popularity. Cigar Box Guitars offers plans for a cigar-box uke, reprinted from the 1910-20 decade. Other plans are available online.

Other sites offer more modern design ideas and techniques. Cigar-box ukes have even been the subject of university student projects. There are many other plans available (see here, also).

But my skills as a ukulele builder are about equal to my skills as a brain surgeon (although I'd be willing to improve the latter on any member of council, should they volunteer). So rather than build my own, at least initially, I decided to buy one from an experienced builder. And then perhaps I might experiment and try making my own, once I had a model as an example.

My choice of builder was Tom Guy. I knew zip about him, but as soon as he posted a CBU for sale on one of the ukulele forums I frequent, his post generated an array of replies from eager buyers, and a series of acclamations from those who already owned one of his ukes. I tried to buy it myself, but was about four hours too late - I think it sold within 15 minutes. Such is the Internet.

A little searching dug up quote a few compliments about Tom's work, including one nice and comprehensive review from a fellow blogger at Ukulele Ghetto (who seems afflicted with a similar but more expensive strain of the ukulele-owning illness that afflicts me). He wrote the cigar box uke has, "...excellent volume, and the tone is very clear yet also deep. I think it's sound is actually similar to the Pineapple Sunday, but a little deeper and less harp-like. And I'm certain that it is superior to the Pono strung with high-G."

Tom also posted a piece on YouTube of him playing a lovely version of Danny Boy on the same uke he was offering for sale. That sweet sound, combined with the classic look, just pushed me over the edge.

I emailed Tom about getting one. After a few exchanges (and some worries about the lowered buying power of our Canadian dollar coupled with the inevitable taxes the government would levy on it), I decided to order one of his ukes. He can do a lot of custom design work, but I was looking for something simple. He asked a few questions about tuner colours and so on, but the only thing specific I wanted were strap buttons.

Tom also makes traditional ukes (see his slideshow and photo album for samples). All of the pictures in the post are ukulele-in-progress shots, sent by Tom and used with his permission.

My new ukulele will take several more weeks to complete, but sometime in May I hope to be able to sit on my deck and strum it. In the meantime, Tom keeps my interest and excitement alive by periodically sending me photographs of his work to date.

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* As I mentioned on my ukulele review page, there is an "illness" called Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome - UAS - that compels affected ukulele owners to purchase a collection of the diminutive instruments. It also drives us to sell and trade our existing stock for newer or different models. As a sufferer of UAS, I've had between one and two dozen ukes in the past year, and sold or traded more than I currently own. My current collection is six functional ukes and two need-work models. I am a self-confessed sufferer of UAS.
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